‘Star Wars: Episode 7’: Top 5 Directors to Succeed George Lucas

With the frenzy of anticipation that comes with the announcement of a new ’Star Wars: Episode 7’ movie, it’s worth considering how many names being thrown out can’t make the film for the proposed 2015 release date, or are otherwise occupied. There’s no way in heck that Paramount would let J.J. Abrams jump franchises, and Joss Whedon is already contracted to do ‘The Avengers 2.’ Sorry, fanboys. So here’s a few names we’d like to toss in the ring for what may be the most anticipated movie of 2015, 'Star Wars: Episode 7.’

1

Sam Mendes

Sony/MGM

‘Skyfall’ doesn’t open stateside until November 9, but we’ve seen it, and it’s a big wow. And watching the movie, you realize it isn’t a great Sam Mendes film, but it is a great James Bond movie. Which points out that there aren’t a lot of great craftsman working today, people who can work within a formula and deliver a film that has just enough personality to be interesting, but doesn’t become a director’s piece and forget why we like the franchise in the first place. Mendes may not be a great auteur, but he has excellent taste, and would be a wonderful shepherd for this franchise.

2

The Wachowskis

Getty Images

It looks like ‘Cloud Atlas’ is going to bomb in America (though it may be saved by international grosses), which is because The Wachowskis are two of the best directors working today. We’d love to see them take 'Star Wars: Episode 7' on in principle, but more than that, both are intimately familiar with making sequels that people don’t like. What better redemption for the ‘Matrix’ sequels and the prequel trilogy than having these two step in and deliver?

3

Bong Joon-ho or Park Chan-wook

Getty Images

If Lucasfilm wants a great director who has something to prove, and wants to appeal to a global market, why not get a foreign director? Both Park Chan-wook and Bong Joon-ho have directed some of the best films of the last 10 years (for Chan-wook, there’s his ‘Sympathy’ trilogy, and for Joon-ho there’s ‘The Host’ and ‘Memories of Murder’), and Chan-wook has been making inroads in America, so why not give one of them the keys to the kingdom? On top of which, both have names that would be right at home in the ‘Star Wars’ universe.

4

Joe Johnston

Marvel

This is probably the most circulated name on our list, but it makes a lot of sense. This is a man who was in the trenches for the original trilogy, from making storyboards to helping create the AT-AT's to designing the look of Boba Fett, and more. And as there are still people who hate the prequel trilogy and wish it never happened, what better way to suggest that they’re going to return to the fun of the original trilogy than hiring someone who was intimately involved with creating it? On top of which, with ‘Captain America’ he proved that he could deliver a big budget blockbuster that understood the mixture of modern and period that was essential to the appeal of the original films.

5

David Lynch

Getty Images

So this is an odd choice, but it’s worth considering that Lynch was in the running to direct ‘Return of the Jedi’ back in the day. He’s also one of the biggest proponents of digital cinema, which puts him in line with Lucas. We’d never expect this to happen in a million years, but if it did, wouldn’t it awesome? Regardless of the quality of the movies, it would be unforgettable.